Mystery Lover
by Clow Angel
Summary: It was, oddly enough, Kaidoh who brought it up. Had it been Eiji or Momo, no one would have likely believed it. Echizen Ryoma was seeing someone. Echizen x ?
1. Chapter 1

So I've never written a Prince of Tennis fanfic before. Figured I should try it! I mean, I only watched the series a dozen and a half times over.

Pairing: Ryoma x ?

It was, oddly enough, Kaidoh who brought it up. Had it been Eiji or Momo, no one would have likely believed it. Echizen Ryoma was seeing someone. Who though, he didn't know. He had only accidentally overheard a phone conversation.

Being the brat's upperclassman, Kaidoh felt it was his responsibility to see to it that Echizen wasn't being taken advantage of. Being the baby of the team and their ace, the freshman held a very special place in all their hearts. And he was only a freshman in middle school! Needless to say, Kaidoh was a lot softer and more caring than he let on—not that the entire team didn't know already.

And so following Inui's orders, the entire team sans captain staked out various places the golden-eyed boy visited: the town's tennis shop, the burger place, Kawamura Sushi, the various tennis courts, etc... When it was proven that there were more places than there were members of the team, Inui had taken it upon himself to put up the cameras. No one questioned where or how he had gotten his hands on such high-tech equipment.

From what everyone could see, Echizen only walked home alone or with the company of school mates, played a few matches with rival teams, ate with Momo and Eiji, and leeched some more off his senpai at Kawamura Sushi's. There was no mysterious girlfriend showing up in the picture. When Kaidoh turned to the team with the question of whether they had been discovered, hence the brat had told his girl to stay clear, Inui shot down that idea with statistics and numbers that made everyone's head spin.

"Maybe it's that Sakuno girl," Eiji suggested one afternoon in the cafeteria with the other third year team members. He was getting frustrated with the lack of news.

"Doubtful," Fuji replied promptly. "He hardly notices her." The genius turned to the team captain, "What do you think Tezuka?"

For a moment, the young captain didn't look like he was going to answer. Seeing their expectant gazes, he sighed inaudibly and put in his two cents. "No comment." It wasn't any of their business who the young boy saw outside of school. As long as he was safe and sound, then all was well. He wasn't about to participate in his team's random and crazy adventures.

Oishi laughed, "That's just like you Tezuka." The vice captain's smile dimmed in seconds, "Though I'm worried. He's still so young. Is he ready to date other people? And not to say he's made of stone, but he doesn't express himself well. Will a relationship work?"

Fuji had to chuckle. "Oishi, you're going to give yourself an ulcer. Anyway, I think Echizen expresses himself just fine. We, at least, always know what he wants. His eyes are very expressive, don't you think?"

The vice captain, blinked, that thought having never crossed his mind. "You're right," he acquiesced. "But will he choose the right person? What if the girl's only after his fame or something?"

Eiji snorted when a thought hit him at scud serve speed, "Is it even a girl? What if it's a boy?"

Fuji's eyes shot open. That had never occurred to him.

Tezuka choked on the milk he was drinking. "What?"

Oishi dropped his chopsticks. "Eiji!"

Eiji looked affronted. "What! You never know. I mean, Fuji's dating Saeki-san."

…

The next time Echizen was on school grounds talking on the phone with his mysterious lover, it was Momoshiro who overheard. It was lunch break, the bell had just ringed, and Echizen had casually strolled out of the classroom with his bento box. If Momoshiro was guessing right, then the boy was heading straight for the roof. To get there first and get a good hiding spot, the junior made a mad dash through the halls and took the stairs two steps at a time.

He really wasn't expecting anything amazing to happen or anything at all even, but just as Echizen was getting ready to sit, the boy's cell phone buzzed. The freshman glanced at the display, rolled his eyes once, before flipping it open and putting it to his ear.

"Yeah?" he grunted, sounding put off.

Momoshiro carefully shifted closer trying to catch as much of the conversation as possible.

"What? No! The idiots have been following me all week."

Damn it. They've been found out. No wonder nothing interesting ever happened. He'd have to tell Inui-senpai that all his data was wrong. His plan had been completely seen through.

Echizen expelled a heavy sigh at whatever the other person was saying.

"No, don't. You're the one who said to be careful. They're probably going to keep following me at this rate." The freshman turned and strolled over to the chain link fence overseeing the school grounds.

Echizen snorted and rolled his golden eyes and looked to the heavens in exasperation. "Why, that's very sweet of you but no."

Momo could practically see the sarcasm drip from that statement. Wasn't that a bit rude? Especially to a girl?

"Ugh, just shut up alright? I'll handle it," the cat-eyed boy replied snarkily, his voice rising.

The recipient of that rude order said something loud enough that Momo could hear but couldn't decipher. He assumed they yelled right back.

"Yeah, sorry; I'm just frustrated." And the boy really did sound apologetic which was rare.

"And I miss you too."

"Mhm. Love you too, bye." With a flick of his wrist, the phone snapped shut.

Momo could do nothing but gape. Who would have thought? The viper was actually right; the brat was seeing someone. Holy cow, their freshman was dating someone!

"Momo-senpai, get down from there."

…Shit. He had been found. Reluctantly and very guiltily, he slid down from the second level.

The smash dunk player raised both hands in a placating manner when the freshman turned his scowling face to him. "Uh, I can explain!"

Ryoma rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance. "Save your excuses, Momo-senpai. I already know everyone's been snooping around trying to guess who I'm seeing. Can't you people just ask like normal people?"

Momoshiro perked up, a grin slowly stretching across his face. "So if I ask, you'll tell me?"

"Heh, no. I never said I'd answer."

"Aw, c'mon! Tell me!"

"Go away. You're too loud."

"Aw, c'mon Echizen! Let your best friend know! Aren't I your best friend? Why haven't you told me?"

The freshman sighed, "_Because_ you would have turned around and told everyone else!"

"I would not! I can keep a secret. Who am I—Eiji-senpai?"

The boy eyed the junior suspiciously. "Really."

"Yeah, really!" Though it would be tempting to tell, if Echizen asked him not to, then he wouldn't!

"Fine, but if you tell, I'll let everyone know who _you've_ been seeing for the past month and a half."

The smash dunk player spluttered, blushed and spluttered some more for a minute before nodding hastily, red-faced from embarrassment.

"So you'll tell me now?" he asked after he had calmed down.

Echizen had the gall to smirk cockily at him. "No."

"What! But you just—"

"I never said I'll tell you _now_."

"Then when?" he whined. He really wanted to know.

"Huh, good question." He glanced at the phone still grasped within his hands before flipping it open and pressing a number on speed dial. Before Momoshiro could sneak a peek at the name on the display, Ryoma already had the phone at his ear.

"No, nothing's wrong you dork. I want to let Momo-senpai know."

From where he was standing, he still couldn't hear the mystery person's voice, only very faint sounds.

"Yeah, he did. Meet me after practice. I'll be waiting with Momo-senpai at the gates, 'kay?"

The junior perked up at that. He was going to meet this mystery person in person! He did a little dance on the spot.

Needless to say, the second half of the school day crawled by at an agonizingly slow speed. Outwardly, Momoshiro was already having enough difficulties hiding his excitement. All this waiting was only chipping away at his act. When the final bell rung, he forced himself to remain calm and made his way through practice with minimal distraction. When at last practice was let out, he and Echizen made sure to be the last ones to leave by taking extra long showers and bickering about every little thing. He had texted the others to tell them that he was walking the freshman home, so there would be no need for extra surveillance.

When finally they made their way out of the clubroom, only Ryuzaki-sensei and their captain were left and both were discussing something about the recent practice matches and training schedules. Not wishing to interrupt them, they quietly made their way out.

And so the pair waited. Echizen was content to rest against the brick wall, close his eyes, and doze off. Momoshiro, on the other hand, was looking at every direction like a twitchy squirrel trying to find someone that looked like a match for their team's socially retarded freshman. Every person around their age that passed by was subject to his intense and searching eyes. When none paid any attention to the dozing boy, the junior began wondering if this mystery person would ever show up. It had to have been at least thirty minutes already. He glanced at his watch. Okay, so it had only been twenty-seven minutes.

Footsteps from the school grounds alerted him to another presence. Glancing behind him, he smiled and greeted their captain who had probably just finished his meeting with the coach. "Hey buchou!"

The captain addressed him by name in greeting.

Wait a minute, wouldn't this be weird? The captain would definitely question why they were loitering at the school gates for apparently no reason.

Even the freshman had straightened.

Momoshiro sent a desperate look to his friend, hoping for some help. What were they going to say?

Wait, why was Echizen getting up and walking off? They were supposed to wait for the girl, right? The power player jogged to catch up with the boy and whispered low enough so that their captain who was walking beside the freshman wouldn't overhear, "Aren't we gonna continue waiting?"

The boy looked up at him, puzzled. "We did," he said slowly, his expression blank.

"…We did?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Are you really this dense, Momo-senpai?"

"It's only buchou, you and me here right—"

He paused and looked between his two team mates, eyebrows drawn together. They were standing closer than they usually would. If one so much as moved even an inch closer, their shoulders would brush.

"Buchou…?" he said faintly, unable to comprehend the information his brain fed him.

And then all went black.

**The End (most likely)**

* * *

Alright. The end? I'm up for continuing it, but I didn't feel like dragging it on unless people were interested. So if people weren't too interested or cared to know what this would lead to, this seemed like a good place to end it for good.


	2. Chapter 2

Mystery Lover's update! Thank the holidays for giving me some free time. The chapters that follow chapter one will be written in a rather different style.

Each chapter will be kind of independent from the others. So it's more like a mini series of…one-shots? They're not very related except for the fact that they're all set out to find out who it is Ryoma is dating after hearing Kaidoh's story either directly from him or second hand. So it _might not_ be featuring a Seigaku-only cast. I'm just throwing it out there in case I get the courage to write someone not from Seigaku.

Here's another twist. It might not always be Tezuka! Hahahaha!

**Mystery Lover – Fuji Syuusuke Finds Out**

If there was one thing many Seigaku members had in common, it would be curiosity. Almost the entire team possessed this trait in spades with perhaps the exception of their stoic captain but even he had his moments.

Outsiders and perhaps even insiders wouldn't know this, but Fuji Syuusuke possessed the curiosity of a cat. When something caught his interest, he would utilize almost any means to unwrap it. So when he heard word that Kaidoh found something of interest, he latched on.

But there was another trait that was extremely well-known about Fuji Syuusuke. The genius tennis player was very protective of his friends and family. So now curiosity was combined with fierce protectiveness. Basically, it was a recipe for disaster.

Whoever the boy's lover was, he or she had better watch out.

Being a genius, Fuji didn't have to go about sneaking around watching his target. No, instead he kept his ears open and listened intently when his team mates gossiped and drew up theories. Fuji also kept his eyes open for any changes or indications that would give him the answer. The popular candidate was their coach's granddaughter, but like Inui said, Echizen barely ever remembers the girl's first name.

No, the girl couldn't be it. Echizen's partner had to be a good tennis player. Of the few females the boy knew, only Tachibana Ann could be it. And let's face it; she was most certainly after Momoshiro.

The answer came to him in the strangest way. It was a change that many wouldn't care to take notice of. After all, it was such a small thing. Many people changed their phone straps monthly or even weekly. But Echizen wasn't known for being spontaneous nor was he known for buying anything not related to tennis. So for his first phone strap ever to be unrelated to tennis, it was strange. What was odder was the color; it was purple. Echizen never really liked the color. In fact, he called it girly and ugly when Atobe came to the Seigaku courts for an inter-school training camp with a royal purple glossy shirt.

Fuji only knew of two people who both wore and favored that color: Atobe Keigo and Tezuka Kunimitsu.

There was a big chance that the mystery lover could be his own captain or a rival team's captain. Either way, they were two people Fuji couldn't make an open move against—at least not easily. But first, he had to make sure which man it was. The easiest way was to borrow the boy's phone. If it was from Atobe Keigo, it was likely to be high quality and probably from nowhere in Japan. If the phone strap was given to Echizen by Tezuka, he would be able to tell. First, it would be from Japan, and if he walked around in the city, he'd probably spot it in a store.

So the day before Operation Phone Strap, Fuji Syuusuke made sure to let his phone's battery run dry. He set it to play music throughout the night. Sure enough, by morning, the phone was so low on battery it wouldn't turn on.

During practice, he made a show of trying to turn on his phone before turning to the freshman with a pleading smile and asked if he could use the boy's phone. Echizen only eyed him suspiciously once before tossing the genius the phone. Fuji smiled apologetically before walking off to presumably make a call, which he does—he called his sister to ask a question about dinner—just in case Echizen bothers to check the call history.

After making the call, the genius studied the phone strap in his hand, flipping it over a few times, dangling it an inch or two away from his eye and turning the little charm to view it at all angles. Satisfied with what he found, he made his way back to where the freshman was waiting for his phone.

The next day, an irritated Echizen Ryoma marched up to one Fuji Syuusuke, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him off.

"How did you know?"

Cocking a brow, Fuji tilted his head in an innocent gesture. "Know what?"

"Stupidity doesn't become you, Fuji-sempai."

The genius chuckled. "It was the phone strap."

Echizen blinked before it dawned on him. "So that's why you borrowed my phone."

"Heh, you found me out."

"But it's just a phone strap!"

Fuji shook his head before explaining. "The phone strap you have is of very high quality and definitely not from Japan. It's actually from a company in France that specializes in making custom accessories for electronic devices."

After staring at the older boy wide eyed for nearly an entire minute, Echizen slowly shook his head before smiling crookedly in disbelief. "You're unbelievable, sempai." Then he looked at the phone strap hanging out of his pocket. "And that asshole told me it was just a normal phone strap."

The blue-eyed teen only smiled.

"But Fuji-sempai, can you not threaten my boyfriend with castration if I'm not home by 7?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied before walking away with a skip in his step.


End file.
